Mea, you have done a beautiful job on the Protea. I always admire how dark you get your drawings. Would love to see your oil version of it. Gosh! You are so versatile ... using all these different mediums. I wish I wasn't so timid.

Patricia

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PatriciaBlessed are those who give without remembering and blessed are those who receive without forgetting - anonymous

Patricia, what paper did you use? Maybe that's why yours looks so satiny. Mine was a generic brand - 90g/m2. I used the top side. I have heard others say to turn it over and use the back side which is smoother.

Val, I am going to try the 2H glaze and see if it helps. UPDATE: I just tried it and it does help somewhat. But, in my case, I see now it's the paper that is causing the problem. I held it up to the light and saw that it has a vertical grain (like stripes) every 1/16 of an inch down the paper.

Win, mine looks velvety somewhat and Patricia's looks like satin. I wonder if we were seamstresses in an earlier life??

Zayn, Hmmm. More like "attitude" than personality. Seems to be quite stubborn.

Mea, try smooth Bristol board. It's really meant for P&l, but you can get very fine details using graphite. Also, although I've never used it, I heard the back side of hot press watercolor paper is good for this.